Registration for Minor Patients

Process to Register a Minor Patient (Under 18 years of age)

Minor patients (under the age of 18) are required to have at least one caregiver at all times, who is a parent or guardian of the minor. A minor patient may have up to four caregivers, two of whom are a parent/guardian, and two additional adults over the age of 21 designated by a parent or guardian. A minor patient’s caregiver must register with the MCA prior to registering the minor patient.

Follow the process listed below, as well as in the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents, to register a minor patient.

Register the minor patient’s caregiver. As stated above, minor patients are required to have a caregiver assigned at all times; the caregiver must submit an online caregiver application and be approved by MCA before registering the minor patient. Once fully registered, the caregiver will be issued an ID Number by MCA, which is needed to complete the minor patient application form (explained below in Step 2).

For additional information on caregivers, requirements to serve as a caregiver, and the caregiver registration process, please visit the Caregivers page and review the Process Overview and Quick Reference Card documents for registering as a caregiver.

Gather the required files and information. After the minor patient’s caregiver registers, the minor patient’s registration can commence. The minor patient application requires the following:

A valid, accessible email account for the caregiver which you are comfortable using in relation to your Maryland Medical Cannabis account. The Commission will use this email address as the principal means of communication with you regarding your account and its status.
The last four digits of the patient's Social Security Number
An electronic copy of the caregiver's valid US government-issued photo ID and proof of Maryland address or patient's treatment at a Maryland medical facility. The file may be either a PDF or image file (.jpg) and no larger than 3 MB in size.

What you will need:

Valid US Government issued ID/License or US Passport (parent or legal guardian)
Caregiver's MCA ID number
A clear, recent photo of the Minor Patient on a white or off white background
Full 9-digit Social Security Number of the Minor's SSN
Proof of Caregiver's relationship to the minor (ie. Birth certificate, Adoption certificate, or adoption court order documents)
Notarized Minor Patient Form
Proof that applicant lives in Maryland

(All documents must be dated within the past 90 days)

Accepted forms of identification:

Driver’s license
State issued photo Identification card
Military ID (both front and back)
US Passport

If the identification you provide is not a Maryland driver’s license or MVA ID Card OR does not identify your current address, you must also provide two of the following documents as proof of your current Maryland address:

Note: Documents must include the applicant's name and address. Documents may not be from the same two agencies. (i.e. Two documents issued by MVA).

MVA registration card or title
Utility, telephone or cable/satellite TV bill
Bank account statement
Property tax bill
Mortgage statement or proof of home ownership (Deed, Title, Bill of Sale)
Major credit card bill (Visa, MasterCard, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)
Residential rental contract (lease or rental contract between landlord and tenant which includes all signatures).
Selective Service Card
Federal, state or local government mail issued by the state of Maryland (ie. Social Security, social services)
Car insurance policy

All documents must be dated within the past 90 days.

An electronic copy of a clear, recent photograph. We strongly recommend using a free, highly-rated passport photo app widely available for download via the App Store, Google Play Store or anywhere apps are available.

Generally, the photo should look like a driver’s license or passport photo. Specifically, it must be a clear, color photo of the patient’s unobscured face taken within the last six months to reflect the patient’s current appearance and feature a plain white or off-white background. The patient must be clothed, directly facing the camera with both eyes open and should have either a neutral facial expression or a natural smile.The patient must not be wearing a hat, head covering, sunglasses or dark glasses.

The file must be an image file (.jpg) no larger than 3 MB in size and may not be digitally enhanced or altered in a way that changes the patient’s appearance.

Examples of acceptable photos

If your photo does not meet the stated guidelines, your application will be returned.

For more examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos, visit the Passport Photos page of the US Department of State website. NOTE: Please do not use the photo cropping tool on the Passport Photos page; simply view the photos provided as samples of what is and is not acceptable.

Patients in hospice care may elect to submit a letter from the attending hospice physician in lieu of a recent photo. The letter must be from the Attending of Hospice Record (AOHR) physician on hospice letterhead stating that the patient is a hospice patient under his or her care. It may be uploaded in either .jpg or .pdf format.

An electronic copy of official proof of the caregiver’s guardianship of the minor patient

Acceptable documents include the patient’s birth certificate, adoption certificate or a court order awarding guardianship.

An electronic copy of the completed and notarized Minor Patient Form

Please download and complete the Minor Patient Form in its entirety, have it notarized, then scan or take a clear picture of the completed form.

The MCA Caregiver ID Number for the caregiver to be identified during the registration process

In order to obtain an ID Number, the caregiver must submit an application and receive MCA approval. For more information, please visit the Caregivers page.

Complete and submit the minor patient’s online application. Visit the MCA registry (OneStop Portal) and click Create Account under the Patients heading.
Verify the caregiver’s email address. As part of the minor patient’s application, the caregiver will need to submit a valid, accessible email address. Once the minor patient’s application has been completed and submitted, a verification email will be sent to the caregiver’s email address. You mustclick the verification link in the email message to verify the email account. Without performing this step, the application is not complete and will not be reviewed by the MCA.

Completed applications will be reviewed by MCA and you will receive a follow up email advising whether or not the application has been approved. Please retain the approval email for your records. It contains the Username, which you will need to log in to the Patient registry (OneStop Portal), as well as the MCA Patient ID Number, which your physician will need to issue a written certification for medical cannabis. Once the patient has a written certification, you will also need to provide both the Patient ID Number and Caregiver ID Number to a licensed dispensary when purchasing medical cannabis.

Next Steps

Once the minor patient’s application has been approved, the patient is ready to visit a provider registered with MCA to obtain a valid certification.

After registration has been completed and a valid certification acquired, the caregiver can visit a licensed Maryland dispensary to purchase medical cannabis for the minor patient. Once the patient has a certification, you will also need to provide the Patient ID Number, along with the Caregiver ID Card when purchasing medical cannabis from a licensed dispensary.

Additional Caregivers for Minor Patients

Minor patients are permitted to have a maximum of two registered, designated caregivers assigned to their accounts at one time. One caregiver is identified and automatically assigned through the Minor Patient registration process.

Likewise, a caregiver may not remove a minor patient from his or her registry (OneStop Portal) account. To cancel a designation between a minor patient and a caregiver, the minor patient may remove the caregiver from his or her registry (OneStop Portal) account or the caregiver can contact MCA at 1-844-421-2571 to request that the designation be removed.